Leather-working machine.



W. C. ROCHE.-

LEATHER WORKING-MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. 1914.,

1,21 5,866. I Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

2 suns-sneer 1.

Fig. i.

Witnesses. I71 ventor ywl Row/2U -W mm" mmms PETEns m INDTD-LIINU. vusmncmm u c.

W. C. ROCHE.

LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. 1914.

1,21 5,866. Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fi l/asses Q v ntor Zfl$%% m, NOR/H) r-num. 1.1).PMOI11IVIHH wAamNnwN, v c

WESLEY C. ROCHE, 0F BEVERLY, NIITG MACHINERY CGIVIPANY, MAINE.

IZEASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE TURNER TAN- OF PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF LEATHEB-WORKTNG TJIACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVESLEY 0. Boone, a citizen of the United States, residing in Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improve ment' in Leather-Working Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing. like parts. a p

This invention relates to a machine for treating hides, skins and leather having a work supporting member and a working or operating member cooperating therewith one of the said members being bodily movable toward and from the other.

The present invention has for its object to provide a machine of the class described, in which the bodily movable member is moved into its operative position by fluid under pressure,'preferably air, which pressure in the operative position of the bodily movable member serves as a cushion to yieldingly hold said bodily movable member in its operative position so as to allow said member to yield and compensate for uneven thickness in the hide, skin or other work being treated, Provision may and preferably will be made for varying the pressure with'which the work is engaged by the cooperating members, as will be described.

In the present instance, the invention is shown as embodied in 'a machine in which the fluid operated member is the work suport.

p These and other features of this invention will be pointed out inthe claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of hide and leather working machine embodying this invention.

Fig. 2, a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1 with the work support in its operative position.

Fig. 3, a side elevation of the machine with the work support in its inoperative position and Fig. 4, a detail to be referred to.

In the present instance I have illustrated the invention in a machine in which the work supporting member is shown as a bed roll a, which cooperates with an operating or working member in the form of a bladed cylinder 5, and with feed rolls 0, d.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917..

Application filed lll'ay 2, 1914. Serial No, 836,002.

1 In the present instance the bed roll a is mounted in swing arms or levers 10, pivotally mounted at 12 in the side frames 13 of the machine, and the bladed cylinder Z) and feed rolls 0, cl are also mounted in said side frames. i

The bed roll a is bodily movable from its open or inoperative position shown in Fig. 3, into its closed or operative position shown in Fig. 2, by fluid pressure, preferably air, and for this purpose, each swing arm or lever 10 has operatively connected with it a piston 15, movable in a cylinder 16 secured to or forming part of the framework of the machine. In the present instance the piston 15 has its rod 17 pivotallyconnected to a link 18, which is pivoted to the swing arm or lever 10.

The cylinder 16 is closed at its ends, and is connected at its front end with a source of fluid under pressure, herein shown as a closed tank or reservoir 19, which is designed to contain air or other fluid under a predetermined pressure, which is preferably in excess of that necessary to easily move the swing arms and thebed roll up into their operative positions.

'In the present instance, the cylinders 16 located at the opposite sides of the machine have their fluid inlet pipes 20, connected together by a pipe 21, which is extended across the machine, and is connected by the pipe 22 with the pressure tank or reservoir 19, the pipe 22 having in it a valve fitting 23, which contains a valve for controlling the passage of the fluid under pressure from the tank 19 to the cylinders 16.

In the present instance, the controlling valve is represented as a rotary valve 25,

which is operated by a foot lever 26, fast 011 the stem of the valve 25 and provided with arms 27, 28, which areadapted to have one arm as 27 depressed by the foot of the operator, when it is desired to admit the fluid pressure into the cylinders 16, and to have the other arm 28 depressed, when it is desired to shut off the supply of fluid to the cylinders 16 and connect the latter with an exhaust pipe 29 extended from the valve fitting i As represented in Figs. 1 and 2, the lever 26 is in its operative position, that is, its arm 27 has been depressed so as to rotate the valve 25 and connect the cylinders 16 with the pressure tank 19, so that air or other fluid under pressure is admitted into the said cylinders in front of the pistons 15 therein, and moves the said pistons toward the rear ends of the cylinders and into substantially the position shown in Fig. 2. On this movement of the pistons, the swing arms 10 are turned on their pivots from the position shown in Fig. 3 into that shown in Fig. 2, so as to move the bed roll a bodily from its open or inoperative position into its closed or operative position, in which latter, the hide, skin or other work on the bed roll is presented to the action of the bladed cyl inder Z2 and to the feed rolls 0, (Z. After the hide or skin has been treated by the bladed cylinder, ,in a manner well understood, the operator depresses the arm 28 of the lever 26 to turn the rotary valve 25 so as to out off the cylinders from the pressure tank and connect them with the atmosphere through the exhaust pipe 29, whereupon the swing arms 10 and bed roll a are returned by gravity or otherwise to their inoperative position shown in Fig. 3.

hen the bed roll a is in its operative position, it may and preferably will be driven by a gear 30 on a short shaft 130 meshing with a gear 31 on the shaft of the bed roll. It may and preferably will be desirable to cushion the engagement of the gear 31 on the bed roll with the gear 30. This result may and preferably will be accomplished by fluid pressure, which may be effected as herein shown by providing for a fluid cushion behind the pistons 15. To this end, each cylinder 16 in the present instance is provided in its head 35 behind the piston 15 with an air inlet port 36, see Fig. 4, which is controlled by a valve 37, having its stem 38 extended through the head 35 and encircled by a spring 39, whose tension or pressure can be regulated by a nut 40 on said stem, and which serves to hold the valve normallyclosed, but which is overcome by the vacuum produced in the cylinder behind the piston, when the latter is moved to the front endof the cylinder, which takes place when the bed roll is moved into its inoperative or open position shown in Fig. 3. The cylinder 16 behind the piston has connected with it an air outlet pipe, 41, provided with a pressure relief valve 52 of known construction, which is normally closed by the weight d3 acting on the lever 44, as long as the air pressure in the cylinder behind the piston is below a predetermined point, which latter can be varied by adjusting the weight 43 in a manner well understood. WVhen, however, the air pressure in the cylinder behind the piston-reaches the predetermined point or amount, the valve 1-2 is opened and the surplus pressure is allowed to escape to the atmosphere.

The air cushion also serves to enable the pressure, which the bed roll and the working cylinder and feed rolls exert upon the work on the bed roll, to be varied, for by adjusting the relief valve 12 to open at a higher or lower pressure, a greater or less air pressure or cushion is obtained in the cylinder behind the piston. The pressure in the tank 19 may be varied by adjusting a relief valve 50 connected with said tank. The tank may be supplied with air or other fluid under pressure by an air pump 51 of known construction,which has its cylinder connected by the pipe 52 with said tank, and its piston rod 53 connected to a sprocket wheel 54, which is driven by a link chain 55 from a sprocket wheel 56 on the main shaft 57 ofthe machine, said shaft being provided in the present instance with a driving pulley 58.

The bladed cylinder 5 and the feed rolls 0, cl, may be driven from the main shaft 57 by link chains 59, 60, 61, in a manner well understood, or they may be otherwise driven.

The pump 51 may be run continuously as herein represented, as the relief valve 50 will spill the air when the pressure in the tank reaches the point or amount for which the relief valve is set.

The operation of the machine herein shown, may be briefly described as follows: The operator places the hide or skin over the bed roll a. when the latter is in its in operative position shown in Fig. 3, and then depresses the arm 27 of the foot lever 26 to open the valve 25 and admit air under pressure from the tank 19 into the cylinders 16 in front of the pistons therein. The air pressure admitted into the cylinders 16 moves the pistons 15 toward the rear end of the cylinders and into substantially the po-.

sition shown in Fig. 2, and thereby moves a the bed roll into its closed or operative posit on, andwhen the bed roll is in its operative position 1t cotiperates with the rolls 0, (Z,

to feed the hide or skin out of the machine and past the bladed cylinders b, which puts out, fleshes, sets out, unhairs or otherwise treats or works the hide or skin. When the hide has been fed out of the machine, the operator depresses the arm 28 of the foot lever 26 and shuts off the supply of fluid pressure to the cylinders, and connects the latter with the atmosphere, whereupon the bed roll is returned to its open or inoperative position, and the pistons are moved to the front end of their cylinders. On this movement of the pistons, air is drawn into the cylinders behind the pistons, and this air is compressed behind the pistons, when the latter are moved in the opposite direction.

The pressure in the tank or reservoir 19 is preferably in excess of that necessary to move the bed roll into its operative positlon, so that when the bed roll is in its operative position it may be forced by the eX- cess pressure toward the bladed cylinder and thereby subject the work thereon to sufficient pressure to insure the proper or desired treatment or working upon the hide or skin. lhe air cushion behind the piston prevents injury tothe gears 31, 30 and swing arms when the bed roll is brought into its working position, and also avoids noise from engagement of said gears, and by adjusting the relief valve 42, the closing movement of the bedroll may be retarded more or less. The air pressure acting on the pistons acts as a yielding cushion to compensate for uneven thickness of the hide, and enables either end of the bed roll to be moved back under the influence of a thick portion of the hide or skin, without increasing the pressure on the end of the roll moved backward, inasmuch as an increase in pressure in the tank 19 over the predetermined amount is taken care of by the relief valve. It will thus be seen, that the working pressure with which the bed roll is held up to the operating tool is the same in all cases and equal at both ends, irrespective of the thickness of the hide or skin.

The fluid pressure enables clutches, gears and wearing parts in opening and closing the machine to be dispensed with and a materially simpler machine to be produced.

I have shown the invention as embodied in one form or construction of machine, but it is not desired to limit the invention to the particular form or construction shown.

In the present instance, the work support is shown as moved into its operative position by two pistons, but it is not desired to limit the invention to the number of pis tons employed. Furthe porting member is shown as the bodily movable member, but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect. So also the invention is shown as embodied in a machine in which the work supporting member is in the form of a roll but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect.

Claims:

ii. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a bed roll, swing arms in which said bed roll is mounted, an operating tool cooperating with said bed roll, a feed roll cooperating with said'bed roll, pistons connected with said swing arms, cylinders in which said pistons are moved, a supply for fluid pressure connected with said cylinders to supply the latter with fluid under pressure to move the swing arms and the bed roll into their operative positions, and means to control the supply fluid pressure to said cylinders, substantially described.

2. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a work support, swing arms carrying said work support, pistons connected with said swing arms, cylinmore, the work sup ders in which said pistons are moved, a supply for fluid pressure connected with said cylinders, and means for controlling the supply of fluid to said cylinders.

23. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a work support, swing arms carrying said work support, pistons connected with said swing arms, cylinders in which said pistons are moved, a supply for fluid pressure connected with said cylinders, and means for controlling the supply of fluid to said cylinders, and means for admitting air into said cylinders behind the pistons to form air cushions therein[ 4-. In a machine of the character described, in combination, an operating member, a work-support movable bodily toward and from said operating member, means actuated by fluid pressure to move said worksupport toward said operating member and into its operative. position and to allow said work-support to respond to inequalities in the thickness of the work while the work support is in its operative position, and means for feeding the work past said operating member.

*5. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a work-supporting member, and an operating member cooperating therewith, one of said members being bodily movable toward the other, fluid-operated means to move said bodily movable member toward said cooperating member and into operative position with relation thereto and to allow said bodily movable member to respond to inequalities in the thickness of the work while said bodily movable member is in its operative position, and means for feeding the work past said oper ating member.

6. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a work supporting member and an operating member cotiperating therewith, one of said members being bodily movable toward the other, and fluid operated means for effecting bodily movement of said movable member, and means for cushioning the movement of the bodily movable member.

7. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a work-supporting member, and an operating member cooperating therewith, one of said members being bodily movable toward the other, a piston operatively connected with said bodily movable member, a cylinder in which said piston reciprocates, means for supplying said cylinder with fluid under pressure to move said bodily movable member into its operative position and to allow said member to respond to inequalities in the thickness of the work While in its operative position, and means for feeding the work past the said operating member, for the purpose specified.

equalities in the thickness of the Work While 10 in its operative position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WESLEY O. ROCHE.

8. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a member to support a hide or skin, and a rotatable bladed cylinder cooperating therewith, one of said parts being bodily movable toward the other, and fluid-operated means for effecting bodily movement of said movable part into its operative position and for allowing said bodily movable part to respond to in- Witnesses:

GEORGE H. CAVANAGH, J. HOWARD BARRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

